I don’t begin to understand all the nuances and legal ramifications of the Federal Court suits to overturn Proposition 8, but it’s being widely reported that gay rights’ activists are upset over the federal challenge because:

…the move is premature and could be disastrous for the marriage movement. ***…federal courts have not been as friendly to gay rights issues. San Francisco Chronicle

Although I can’t believe I’m about to say this considering I am a “legal professional” by trade and should consider the attitudes of the Court in any decisions that could affect millions of people, but there is a reason federal challenges are necessary. The reason is emotional, not legal. They [the right-wing conservatives] have forced the gay community to live in fear long enough. If we are afraid of what “might happen” should we challenge the right-wing to give us the rights we deserve, we are forgetting what they are doing to us! Personally, I’ve lived in fear long enough and I’m not going to continue to be afraid of what they can do to me so much that I let them continue to do what they are already doing to me.

So, if you ask this gay rights’ advocate if we should challenge Prop 8 federally, the response you will receive is: We should challenge it at the city level, the county level, the state level, the federal level and most importantly at the social level.